With 37 caps, Gyasi Zardes is the most seasoned player at the international level, followed by Juan Agudelo (27), Jordan Morris (24) and Paul Arriola (15), Zardes, a graduate of the LA Galaxy Academy, is one of 19 players on the roster with ties to a U.S. Soccer Development Academy club.

His play has also drawn the notice of the MNT, leading to his first call-up this month. McKennie will look to earn his first cap on Tuesday, Nov. 14 against Portugal (3:45 p.m. ET; FS1, Univision, Unimas).

Next on the Schedule: The U.S. MNT reconvenes for two crucial World Cup Qualifying matches on March 24 vs. Honduras in San Jose (10:30 p.m. ET; FS1, UniMas, UDN) and March 28 at Panama (Kickoff TBD; beIN Sports).

Nothing would hurt the U.S. program more than missing out on a World Cup. It would be a huge embarrassment to the national team, which has the benefit of playing in CONCACAF’s ultra-forgiving qualifying format.

It’s important to note that the federation’s longtime president was speaking before the stinging setback to El Tri, the USMNT’s first qualifying loss on home soil since a 3-2 defeat to Honduras at RFK Stadium in 2001.

New faces are always welcomed to the US national team, but they’d better make the most of the chance when they get the call. That was Jurgen Klinsmann’s dominant message as he announced his latest roster ahead of this month’s friendlies vs. Cuba and New Zealand. New York Red Bulls playmaker Sacha Kljestan and Borussia […]